we went down to the woods today...

...but we didn't go in disguise.

A fabulous day with family and a walk that turned out to be even better than expected.

We started from Middlebere Common on a route that took us across Wytch Heath, Rempstone Heath, up to Ower Quay on the southern edge of Poole Harbour and back skirting the edge of Wytch Moor. The walk took us past several nodding donkeys (oil wells) but the real excitement took place in the pine forest on Rempstone Heath.

We were aware of the resident crossbill, Loxia curvirostra population in Wareham Forest but we did not know that we had crossbills as close to home as Rempstone Heath. We had not been in the forest for long before we heard, and then saw, a small group high up in the canopy. All in all, we saw in excess of twenty and there was a good mix of both males and females. The females are yellow-green and the males a lovely red. We kept hoping that they would come lower and nearer, however they didn't, so this is quite a serious crop but a sufficiently good spot to be blipped...